Members who attended the RAHB General Membership Meeting (GMM) on May 29 approved a change to the MLS® Rules and Regulations which will allow brokers, managers and members with broker load privileges to broker load listing cancellations and suspensions.

When discussing the proposed change in the Open Forum prior to the meeting, RAHB President Tim Mattioli noted that suspensions and cancellations would still require the Broker of Record’s or Manager’s written consent on the properly completed paperwork from the seller before they could be broker loaded.

RAHB will have a system in place to audit broker loaded cancellations and suspensions. Penalties for abusing the privilege of broker loading cancellations and suspensions are still to be decided by the Board of Directors.The new rule will take effect by the end of June – watch Message of the Day (MOD) for more information.

Members also approved an amendment to the RAHB Bylaw which extends the hours for electronic voting in the annual election of directors, from 8:30-4:30 on three days prior to the annual election meeting to all day on those three days.

The updated Bylaw and Rules and Regulations are now available in the Membership Information section on REALTOR Link® and Fusion Resources – RAHB Documents.

After a year of research by the MLS® Committee and consultation with members, the Board of Directors presented a recommendation for association-wide adoption of electronic lock boxes. Members at the meeting defeated the motion, and when asked if the Board will be further considering the subject, Mr. Mattioli replied that the Board would not be revisiting electronic lock boxes.

Members’ motions from Carl Stars and Don Johnson were also considered by members at the GMM: Carl Stars’ motion asking for member approval for expenditures over $50,000 was defeated and Don Johnson’s motions regarding electronic lock boxes, the MLS® Home Price Index and RAHB membership fees were approved. The Board of Directors will consider the motions and report back to the members with their final decision. (For details on the motions, please refer to the Notice of Meeting email sent to all members on May 16, and see “Voting Items”.)

RAHB CEO Ross Godsoe wrapped up the meeting with an update on a shared, regional MLS® system, the upcoming Member Satisfaction Survey and a new app – Look4Homes – to be released before the end of June. (See more info about Look4Homes on the next page)